Hi All,
I like Jim Brown's comments best. He gets right to the heart of a lot of
it.
Seriously though, we see this kind of question a lot, and it's really
difficult to give definitive answers, especially when we are talking about
equipment from two highly regarded companies known for quality products. A
big problem, however, is really knowing exactly what is important, and what
is not so important, to the person asking the question. Rarely do we see
"full disclosure" in this regard.
I will say this--in the past I have owned several Ten-Tec rigs. They all
performed well, and I thought Ten-Tec supported them well--exceptionally
well in fact. However, I am now pretty much totally equipped with Elecraft
products. I have my reasons for that--good reasons I think--but they may
not be the same reasons someone else might have. I would also say that
Elecraft support is as good as it gets!
Here's what I think someone faced with this kind of decision should really
do. Download both manuals. Read them thoroughly to get, not only a feel
for what the rig can do, but how you make it do it. See if you really think
one or the other is too complex or convoluted for your personal pleasure.
Next I would re-read each manual with a view towards picturing yourself
operating that particular radio. Think of the things you do normally when
operating, and how each radio allows you to perform those tasks. Do this
carefully and thoroughly, though, because it is easy to gloss over certain
things if you don't really give each item your full attention. I know this
sounds "painful", but how else are you really going to get some sort of feel
for the radio, unless you actually have the opportunity to try it our first
hand--that's obviously always preferable.
Anyway, this may lead to some very specific questions which can be more
appropriately answered in a forum like this. There well may be steps or
procedures that aren't readily understood. Those are specifics, and not
necessarily judgmental questions. Those are the kinds of questions that are
apt to receive the most accurate response.
Of course, you should also check out the equipment reviews that appear in
the better magazines. You tend to get some pretty good performance info
from these, and in some sort of comparable form. These tend to be more
technically oriented, but they often culminate in some subjective
conclusions that may, or may not be totally useful--it depends on the
reviewer!
I will say that I fully agree with Jim Brown's conclusion about the Elecraft
menus. Yes, they are extensive, and perhaps complex is an appropriate
description, but they are for the most part what you need to "suffer
through" in order to set the radio up initially. Remember, these are very
sophisticated pieces of gear. Once you do that part, it's usually a "set it
and forget it" situation. The controls you then need most often are right
there on the front panel.
Ten-Tec is not so easy for day to day operating in my view. Too many
adjustment I make normally and often require entry into the menu system, or
at least excessive button pushing. That's probably my biggest gripe with
Ten-Tec these days, but again, that may not be a big deal for others.
Dave W7AQK
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